Over a thousand CHILDREN arrested for drug dealing – some as young as 12

Police figures reveal they were held on suspicion of trying to sell drugs including cocaine, heroin and cannabis

More than 1,000 children – some as young as 12 – have been arrested in a blitz on playground drug pushers. Police figures reveal they were held on suspicion of trying to sell drugs including cocaine, heroin and cannabis. One 12-year-old in London was arrested for allegedly having a Class A drug with intent to supply. She was also tested to see if she had been taking drugs.

The figures were revealed as charities warned gangs are using youngsters to peddle substances knowing they are likely to attract less suspicion.

There were 116 girls among the total of 1,111 pupils aged 16 or under arrested last year.

Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company charity, said: “These numbers show only those that are being caught, the real scale of this is infinitely more.

“However people need to understand that these kids are not in some way morally flawed. It is simply survival behaviour and it is a mistake to think that these kids believe it to be a glamorous choice.” She added: “They are constantly in fear and being threatened by adults who run them and adults from other gangs as well as being frightened about being caught by the police.”

Children arrested for dealing drugs

o Total number of under-16s arrested – 1,111

o Number of girls among them – 116

o Age of youngest child arrested – 12

A total of 23 girls were arrested in the capital for suspected drug dealing, including nine alleged offences related to the most serious Class A narcotics.

In South Wales a 13-year-old girl was quizzed over supplying Class B substances, as were 14-year-old girls from Cambridgeshire, Avon and Somerset, and Devon and Cornwall police forces.

A 15-year-old girl arrested in Dorset was quizzed on suspicion of dealing heroin. Sussex police nabbed a 16-year-old girl for allegedly selling cocaine and officers from Cleveland questioned a 15-year-old in relation to passing on cannabis resin.

In some of London’s most drug-riddled estates gang members in their late teens to 20s, known as “olders”, give younger teens, or “youngers”, and “tinies”, those aged 13 and below, their drugs to sell or hold.

A spokesman for drugs charity Addaction said: “In our young people’s services we do sometimes see the very young. These children are not normally addicted, but the very fact that they’re being drawn into that world is hugely worrying. These will be the people we’ll be seeing in 10 years’ time if they’re not helped now.” He added: “The earlier we can intervene, the better the outcome is likely to be.”

Separate figures from the Department of Education reveal there were 8,070 incidents last year of pupils getting into serious trouble over incidents linked to drink or drugs.